Easy Southern Strawberry Shortcake

Most likely, you are like me, and grew up enjoying your Strawberry shortcake with those golden spongy, prepackaged dessert cups. This was one of my favorite times of the year, growing up in California. My mom would stop at a Fresh Strawberry stand on our way home from church, and buy packages, of the reddest, sweetest, most gigantic strawberries, you'd ever seen.

She quarter and hull the strawberries, with my brother and I eyeing her like hawks, to see when she was finished, so we could put the sugar on the strawberries.

Of course, she'd leave a couple ones whole for us to enjoy. She was such a thoughtful mother. My brother and I would take turns, burying our strawberries into the sugar, and gobbling them whole; trying not to get their sweet, red juice all over mother's counters.

Of course, back in the 70's everyone used Reddi-Whip real whipped topping. My mother was a frugal mother after all, and only gave each of us, a tablespoon of whipped topping, to top our shortcakes with, and we'd always sneak more.

It wasn't until I worked at a resort restaurant in California, that I actually had my first real Strawberry shortcake.

Of course, at first I thought to myself, this isn't a shortcake. It's not a golden like cake with a well for my strawberries to sit in; this is just a slightly sweetened biscuit!

Then to my delight, there was one thing this shortcake could do, that the spongy prepackaged cake couldn't; it could sop up those syrupy strawberry juices, without turning to mush. I was delighted.

Fast forward; here I was attending culinary school and our Chef, a Executive Baker for a resort in Scottsdale here in Phoenix, taught us in class about Southern biscuits and how important that they be fluffly and contain the all important fat content,layer factor. I say fat content, because back in the day, shortening was used and I prefer butter, but this recipe I used actually used heavy whipping cream.

One thing my mother didn't really make for us was real Southern biscuits; buttermilk or otherwise. We'd mostly have a slice of fresh baked bread, or a frozen, baked dinner roll.

Of course, after my experiences, dining at the resort restaurant, and what the culinary school taught me, my family enjoys more Biscuits and Gravy than my brother and I ever did; and you can imagine their surprise, when they got home from school to find out they were having Strawberry Shortcake.

At first, my husband wished, I had bought those store bought prepackaged cups, but after his first bite, he told me that this was a real treat and requested that I make it again real soon.

Easy Southern Strawberry Shortcake (adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 Tbls. sugar

2 cups self rising flour, if you can find White Lily

2 Tbls. sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream+ 1 Tbls.

Reddi- Whip whipped topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Wash your fresh strawberries. Then hull and quarter them. Sprinkle, strawberries with 2 Tbls. of sugar. Let the strawberries macerate in the sugar for 30 minutes to 2 hours, the longer the better, the juicier your strawberries will be.

3. Sift the flour and the sugar together. Create a well in the middle of your flour/sugar. Slowly pour the heavy whipping cream in. I used a fork to mix it all together, until everything comes together.

4. I needed to add another 1 Tbls. of heavy whipping cream, since my dough was a little on the dry side.

5.  Put the mixture into an ungreased 8x8 pan, and sprinkle with some sugar.

6. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

7. Set aside to cool. I like mine a little warm, fresh out of the oven, but completely cooled is fine too.

8. Cut shortcake into 6 pieces. Halve one piece. Top with sugared strawberries, and whipped topping.

As always, I saved one for you!

Have a fantastic day! Until next time!

xo Christine

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